


The Lee Household

by seungjin_chan



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Down Character(s), Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Brothers, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and chapters will still be added whenever i come up with new ideas, but this can always be considered complete!, so it's going to be marked complete because it's Episodic if that makes sense, this is basically umaru and taihei but with seungmin and minho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21722299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungjin_chan/pseuds/seungjin_chan
Summary: Minho has a little brother.He's kind to everyone, humble, responsible, has a smile brighter than the sun, excels in school far more than anyone his age normally would, and he's handsome. He's the perfect example of an ideal high school boy. Apparently.With Minho?With Minho, he's just a whiny, lazy, helpless little child who can't get up from his bed without being dragged out of it just to eat dinner.And Minho would never trade him for the world.
Relationships: Kim Seungmin & Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 89
Kudos: 208





	1. Seungmin and Anime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by all the anime series he watches, Seungmin tries out new things, but ends up hurting himself in the process in one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a most self-indulgent fic idea i've found myself writing ~~despite telling everyone i'd be publishing a seungjin fic next~~ but if there'd be people who'll like it, then i'll be thrilled! <3
> 
> here's 2.4k words for the first chapter!

Seungmin is seventeen.

"Seungmin," Minho crosses his arms, eyeing his little brother, who's lying down on his tummy on the bed, happily binge-watching an anime series on his phone for the second hour straight. The boy doesn't respond, though, too absorbed in it to hear him. "Seung—"

"YES!" Seungmin yells loudly and startles Minho, shooting up from his bed, eyes wide and still glued to his phone screen as he rapidly smacks a hand down the mattress. "They won, they won!!!"

Minho's eye twitches, watching the boy fall back into his bed and roll around excitedly, his feet kicking in the air. The hood of his cape—a white, fluffy cinnamoroll cape, one he owns _dozens_ of for everyday wear—flies off of his head from his vigorous flailing, and Minho sighs inwardly. "Seungmin, dinner's getting cold."

"Wait, Ming hyung," Seungmin finally answers without looking, suddenly stilling and properly staring at his phone again, holding it up above his face to continue watching. "Just eight minutes before this episode is finished."

Minho briefly closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and calmly, he says, "If you don't get up right now, no phone privileges for a week."

" _What—_ " Seungmin squeaks, sitting back up abruptly with downturned lips, furrowed brows and a pair of wide eyes directed at Minho, clearly ready to throw a fit, until he sees Minho's deadpan look and immediately shrinks into himself with a pout. "... Okay."

Finally, Seungmin locks his phone and sets it aside, wearing his cinnamoroll hood back on his head and sullenly rolling down from his bed and onto the waxed, wooden floor before crawling towards their _chabudai_ table at the center of their room, plopping down by his usual place where his food waits.

He's still pouting when he gets there, but as soon as his gaze lands on the egg risotto on the plate in front of him, his eyes instantly _sparkle,_ and he picks up his spoon immediately before raising it in the air with a cheerful and victorious, "Risotto!"

"Quiet, Seungmin," chides Minho softly, finally seating himself across the younger and picking up his spoon as well. "You don't want to bother our neighbors."

Seungmin lowers his spoon and scoops up some of the risotto, staring at it with childlike wonder before cheering in a much smaller voice, "Risottooo."

Minho sighs out with a fond smile, watching his brother start eating and squealing constantly into his spoon in delight.

Seungmin is seventeen.

In Minho's eyes, he's mostly just a little seven-year old.

"And, and hyung you know," Seungmin bounces excitedly, following Minho around their little apartment as the latter is busy doing household chores, "he directs the ball right into your hand! You just gotta jump, lift your hand, and bam!"

"Mhm," Minho hums noncommittally, continuing to vacuum their floor and picking up the stray bag of chips that Seungmin left under the desktop table before tossing it into the bin. "I told you not to leave your trash lying around the floor."

"It was just this once!" Seungmin protests instantly, frowning with a pout. "You aren't even listening about the anime!"

"It wasn't _'just this once,'_ Seungmin," Minho squints. "I wouldn't be cleaning right now if you weren't constantly making a mess around the house. I really should prohibit snacks."

"Ming hyuuung _,_ " whines Seungmin, and Minho sighs in defeat, turning off the vacuum and finally facing the younger.

"Fine. And then what happens?"

Seungmin brightens up immediately. "And then before the other team knows it, the ball's already hit the court! It's like magic! I want to do it too."

"That doesn't sound realistic."

"But it is! And there's P.E. class tomorrow so I'm gonna be a setter and do the thing too. And before you know it I'll be competing in the nationals!"

Minho chuckles and shakes his head, ruffling up Seungmin's hair and watching the boy smile even brighter. "I don't doubt it."

The next day, when Minho comes back home from work, the sight that greets him is his little brother still in his uniform, sprawled out haphazardly on his stomach on the floor, unmoving.

Minho holds back a laugh and clears his throat. "So how was volleyball?"

"I can't feel my arms and legs."

"Ming hyung! Ming hyung, Ming _hyung,_ " Seungmin tugs on Minho's shirt incessantly, staring up at him with big, sparkling eyes, his cinnamoroll hoodie only further emphasizing his puppy-dog eyes look.

Minho pauses in the middle of fixing his necktie. Puppy-dog eyes is usually not a good sign.

"I'm going to be late for work, Seungmin. What is it?"

"Before you get home later, can you buy some mackerel from the grocery store?" Seungmin bounces on his heels, giddy. "Pleeease? I want to be the one to cook dinner tonight!"

Minho nearly trips on his way to the front door.

"You want to what?" he blinks incredulously, lifting a hand to his little brother's forehead right away, pulling down the cape's hood. "Seungmin, you're not having a fever, are you?"

Seungmin's smile instantly turns into an annoyed, fake one, before he smacks Minho's hand away with a huff. "I'm not sick! Just buy us some mackerel!"

And with that, he stomps his way back to their room, but not before shooting Minho one last glare, sulkily putting his hood back on his head and shutting the door closed.

As Minho shakes his head and chuckles in amusement on his way out, he makes a mental note to himself to make sure to buy them food other than the mackerel, just in case.

It's seven in the evening.

Minho is worried.

"Ming hyung, just stay here!" Seungmin insists, hands on Minho's shoulders as he pushes him towards their room and out of the kitchen.

"But—are you sure can handle it? You've never tried cooking by yourself before," Minho argues while still trying to make it back there, head turned sideways as he eyes the frying pan filled with boiling oil on their stove.

Minho is _terribly_ worried.

"It'll be fine! According to the anime, the Poele method is easy!" Seungmin happily exclaims with finality, successfully dragging Minho into their room and immediately stepping back out, starting to close the door. "Just sit there and wait!"

"Wait, according to the what? Seungmin—"

Seungmin closes the door before he gets an answer.

After a minute or two of contemplation and staring at the door, Minho eventually decides to do as he's told.

He constantly hears the sound of metal dropping to the floor with loud clangs, the loud sizzle of the oil that tells him the heat must have been set too high, and many other concerning noises—but he sits still.

It's not everyday Seungmin isn't actually just lazing around and trying out something that could help him in the future, after all.

But then he starts smelling something _burning,_ and it only lasts him a minute before he's standing back up and marching into their kitchen.

The sight that greets him when he abruptly stops in his tracks is a couple of burnt, nearly charcoal-looking mackerel slices in the pan atop an already turned off stove, a spatula and a pair of tongs scattered on the floor, and his own little brother plopped down right beside them, hands and arms covered with a few small scalds, most likely from the hot oil.

He doesn't get to say anything before Seungmin bursts out crying.

Soon, Minho's gaze slowly softens as he carefully crouches down in front of the boy with a sigh, pulling him in for a hug and kissing the side of his head. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"What are all those pens for?" Minho gawks, watching his little brother pull out handfuls and handfuls of black pens from the store's rack with a determined expression. "Why do you need so many?"

"They all come out differently and have different shades," replies Seungmin calmly, starting to test them out one by one on the pad of paper placed below the pens. (To Minho, they all just look the same.) "I need them in different kinds of thickness too."

It's been some time since Minho's gone out shopping with Seungmin like this, and if he's being truthful, seeing his little brother behaving and speaking like a normal teenager right now is the first time in a while that Minho is suddenly reminded of how Seungmin is always like a completely different person outside the house.

"Seungmin, those are all expensive."

Seungmin pauses mid-write, briefly side-eyeing Minho and resuming his pen-testing. "Hyung, I need them. I want to be a writer in the future."

Minho raises his brows.

He never would have expected that Seungmin—childish, lazy, _spoiled_ Seungmin—would already be thinking about what he wants to do in the future this early.

But that's a good thing, isn't it? Minho shouldn't stop him from pursuing something he wants to do.

"Fine," he murmurs, fishing out his wallet and starting to count his bills with a dreadful look on his face.

He's just gonna have to work overtime to save up some more.

When Seungmin spends the next few nights staying up a little bit later than normal just to sit at his desk and write for an hour or three, Minho lets him.

When he wails loudly a week later and runs to Minho whimpering and whining about his cramping hand, Minho just laughs and helps him relieve the pain, telling him he should take a break for a while.

And when Seungmin finally shows him what he's been working on a few more days later, grumbling on about it not being meant for him, it takes everything in Minho not to lose it as he scans over the papers.

Minho should have realized it sooner. No wonder he found it weird that Seungmin wanted to buy so many pens and write by hand instead of just typing it all into a computer.

 _But it's fine_. The pens weren't _that_ expensive. Just about a quarter of his salary. Maybe about two weeks' worth of lunch money.

Definitely not that expensive.

He takes a deep breath. "You said you wanted to be a writer."

"A mangaka. Manga writer," Seungmin corrects. "But it's not for me so I'm done."

Minho's eye twitches. "And you got that idea from...?"

"This anime I was watching! It's about two high school students wanting to become mangakas under a single pen name and—"

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

"What? Why are you yelling? Why are you mad at me!"

The next time they go to the mall one Sunday morning and he sees Seungmin thoughtfully choosing a tennis racket, Minho grabs his wrist immediately and drags him away.

"No. No more sudden anime-inspired activities."

"What? _Why,_ " Seungmin whines, his ideal high school boy facade briefly disappearing despite being in public. "The tennis racket isn't even as expensive as all those pens combined!"

Minho shoots him a deadpan look. "That's not supposed to make me, the person paying for everything, feel better. Now let's go home, we've already gotten everything we need."

Naturally, Seungmin sulks at him the whole time they walk back home.

But when they do get there, and Seungmin still isn't answering even after the fourth time Minho asks him what he wants for lunch, Minho sighs loudly and runs a hand down his face. "Seungmin, why are you so insistent on doing all sorts of things out of the blue?"

Seungmin stays silent, opening his drawer and taking out one of his capes before draping it over his shoulders and putting on the hood.

"What if you end up actually getting injured from them?" Minho continues. "Shouldn't you be focusing on your classes instead? From what I recall, exams should be coming up soon, and you—"

"I wanted you to be proud."

Minho stops, taken aback.

And a little confused.

Seungmin finally turns to look at him, his eyes sad. "I'm the top student in my year, hyung. And I don't need to study hard to get there either. I get all kinds of awards and medals for it but neither you nor I find it all that amazing because—" his voice breaks, and he lets out a shaky breath. "Because ten years ago, that was you too."

Minho stills.

Now that he thinks about it—

Has he... Has he ever actually told Seungmin how proud he really is of him whenever the boy got back home from school, bringing with him an award?

Why can't he remember?

"But you were put in the advanced classes, weren't you?" Seungmin adds, chuckling wryly and reaching up to dab at his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm just in the regular classes and it's nothing compared to what you achieved. Even my teachers still talk about you and how gifted you were back then. So I just... I don't know. I guess I wanted to do something different that you could be proud of."

Guilt washes over Minho faster than quicksand.

In an instant, he's encasing his little brother into his arms with the tightest hug, murmuring quiet _'sorry's_ and sweet nothings into his hair as the boy cries silently and succumbs into his embrace.

Seungmin is seventeen.

He's young, vulnerable, and insecure, and Minho really should have paid more attention.

"MING HYUNG!"

Minho jolts awake from his afternoon nap the following day, abruptly sitting up from his futon and looking around groggily until he sees Seungmin plopped down on the floor at his side, grinning widely at him.

"Oh, welcome back..." he mumbles, stifling a yawn behind his hand and lying back down, still sleepy.

"Ming hyung, I went to the arcade today! Look!"

Before Minho even fully registers what's happening, though, he's already being buried under a _mountain_ of plushies, and when he somehow paves a way for him to see from under the pile, he sees Seungmin above him holding a bunch of now-empty paper bags upside down, having purposely dumped the plushies all over Minho.

"I got them all with just four coins! Ming hyung, aren't you proud of me?" he bounces, happily plopping down on top of Minho and evoking out a grunt from him from the sudden weight. "I didn't get hurt this time too!"

Minho eventually lets out a soft laugh, wrapping his arms around his little brother—along with a bunch of other plushies squished in between them—before ruffling Seungmin's hair fondly. "I'm always proud of you, Seungmin. Always."

Seungmin's bright smile and happy giggle is more than enough to tell him everything's okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope that didn't seem as rushed as i felt it was and that it actually makes sense even if you guys haven't watched umaru because everyone who _has_ watched it would definitely realize just how similar this is,,
> 
> anywho if you enjoyed it, please do consider leaving a comment below and share your thoughts! ♡
> 
> [tumblr](https://seungjin-chan.tumblr.com/ask) | [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/seungjin_chan) | [curiouscat](https://www.curiouscat.me/seungjin_chan)


	2. Seungmin and His Favourite Class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's strange for Seungmin to constantly have his nose stuck in a textbook at home instead of spending his free time watching, playing, or doing _anything_ but study. Minho finds out the reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this feels a little rushed but my sleep-deprived brain is also telling me that _it's Fine already, just publish it oh my God_ so. here it is!!
> 
> i know gen fics aren't normally people's cup of tea in this fandom but this received more positive feedback than i expected so i'm just so grateful for that, thank you so much!! ♡ ;;
> 
> here's 2.2k words for chapter 2!

If it's related to school, Seungmin can do anything exceptionally well.

He doesn't have to study much at home; he just listens properly in class and easily understands the concepts of whatever subject is being taught, and most of the time, that's all he really needs. He's just like Minho when he was at that age.

At least, that's what Minho thought until around a month and a half ago, when he started noticing Seungmin taking the time to read his textbook at home at least twice a week, which eventually became every other day, and has now become a daily routine—even on weekends.

Minho didn't mind it at first; it's good that Seungmin's taking his studies more seriously now and he thinks maybe the boy's even trying to learn things _beyond_ what is being taught in school because he just finds a subject that interesting.

But studying even on _weekends_ when Minho knows how Seungmin has always strongly believed that it's best to spend it lazing around, watching anime, playing games or going to the arcade—Minho feels that maybe something is wrong.

"Seungmin," he calls as soon as he turns off his desktop computer, spinning his chair around to turn away from the screen and face his little brother, who had been on his bed lying on his stomach while reading that particular textbook for the past hour, his feet up from behind him and idly paddling about.

Minho almost stops himself from asking with how Seungmin looks so much like he's enjoying himself, the boy letting out a chipper hum in response with raised brows, though his eyes never leave his textbook.

But he's still concerned.

"Have you been having a hard time with your classes lately?"

At that, Seungmin pauses and finally glances up at Minho, innocently tilting his head before shaking it, the dog-ears from his cinnamoroll cape hoodie swinging a little as he does.

"Okay," Minho says slowly, "is there a reason you've been studying more often at home these days, then? I've never seen you study so much before and it's... strange."

Seungmin stiffens up then, letting out a nervous laugh as he quickly darts his gaze in all directions but Minho's. Minho narrows his eyes in suspicion.

"What? Strange? Ming hyung, there's nothing strange about me genuinely enjoying a subject!"

He purses his lips to the side thoughtfully, still not very convinced.

While what he said is true, and maybe he really did find a subject he likes, there's still something unsettling about not constantly seeing Seungmin be the child he supposedly always lets himself be at home.

... Maybe Minho is just a little worried that Seungmin might already be growing up without him realizing.

He's forced out of his thoughts when his phone starts to ring, though, and he picks it up immediately, bringing it up to his ear as he stands up from his chair. "Hey. Yeah. No, I didn't forget, idiot. Yeah, I'll meet you in fifteen."

"Ooh!" Seungmin sits up excitedly on his bed as Minho heads towards their fridge for a drink. "You're going out tonight? Ming hyung, buy me soda from the convenience store before you get home, we're running out!"

Already drinking from his bottle of juice with the fridge door open, Minho merely blinks at the three whole liters of soda still inside it ( _this is what he calls running out?_ he ponders) and silently decides to just buy Seungmin a smaller bottle later.

When he finishes drinking, closes the fridge and turns back around, he comes face to face with a sparkly-eyed Seungmin, who's finally left his bed— _finally_ closed his textbook—and is currently bouncing on his heels. "I want three bags of chips too!"

Minho holds back a smile and schools his face into a stern look. "No, you'll only have one."

Seungmin pouts. "Two!"

Minho narrows his eyes again, but Seungmin just pouts bigger. "Fine, two."

The boy breaks into a bright smile then, cheering happily as he spins around. "Yay!"

"But I might get back late, so you will eat none of them until tomorrow."

Seungmin stops, turns back around and whines. "But Ming _hyunggg._ "

And as Minho ends up laughing, he realizes he prefers his little brother like this, no matter how selfish or spoiled he is.

When Minho steps into the café and spots the familiar mop of hair right away, he strides his way further inside until he reaches the table, stopping just behind the man's seated figure before giving him a playful shove on the shoulder.

"What the f—" the man turns around with a scowl and a hand on his shoulder before he tilts his head up and catches sight of a grinning Minho, and he then briefly closes his eyes, breathing out through his nose. "Not cool."

Minho laughs, finally taking the seat across him. "That's for not telling me you were gonna come back, so shut up."

"Well you know now, don't you?" the blonde rolls his eyes good-naturedly, leaning back in his seat before huffing out a laugh. "What, will you actually punch me if I told you I've been here for almost three months now?"

Minho's face turns blank, eyes unamused as he takes a few moments to just stare at the other male. "Chan, I _swear—_ "

"Hey," Chan raises his hands up immediately in defense, "don't blame me, I was crazy busy finding a place to settle in and a decent job to land!"

Minho shakes his head to himself. "Did you get to do all that, then?"

At this, Chan relaxes, shooting Minho a grin. "Fortunately. I'm actually just ten minutes away from this place so I might even live near you or something. Finding a job took longer than I hoped, but it worked out in the end."

Minho finally grins back, cocking his head to the side. "And your job is?"

"Oh-ho," Chan shakes his head with a chuckle, fishing his wallet out of his pocket before pulling out a card—an ID—and showing it to him with a cheeky smile. "You'll never guess where I'm working."

Minho blinks and leans in for a closer look, before his brows rise up to his forehead merely upon seeing the emblem of his and Chan's former—and currently Seungmin's—high school.

"I see," Minho sits back, mildly surprised. "How's that going for you?"

"Splendidly," Chan nods, putting his ID back and pocketing his wallet. "The students listen to me well. It's expected that they have a hard time with the subject, though. But yeah, at least they pay attention to me, and... well. I guess you know why," he shrugs his shoulders, a playful smile on his face.

Minho snorts. "Everyone's still crushing on you."

"Ah, but there _is_ this one boy," he pauses to let out a fond chuckle, "he's so intelligent and smart; he keeps surprising me. Reminds me so much of you."

_Reminds me so much of you._

Eyes widening a little, Minho quickly tries recalling what Seungmin's textbook looked like for a while before everything _clicks,_ and he quietly says, "English."

"Yeah!" Chan grins, unaware of Minho's silent realization. "I suppose it's not very hard to guess."

Slowly, Minho then covers his mouth, laughing quietly to himself.

Little Seungmin, crushing on his big brother's best friend.

Who'd have thought it?

"What? Why are you laughing?" Chan squints at him, crossing his arms. "I _was_ the top student outside of advanced classes, you know. I would have been qualified to teach other subjects too, I just chose English to make things easier for me!"

Minho laughs even more and hugs his stomach. "Sure, sure. Let's order something before they throw us out of here."

From his desk in their room, Minho glances up at the clock and silently lifts a finger, another, and three.

Their front door opens right on time, and he hears Seungmin cheerfully yelling _'I'm home!'_ as he had been doing so every Tuesday and Thursday for the past two weeks. For the third time, Minho marks X on another Tuesday in his small desk calendar and quirks a corner of his lips up, Chan's voice echoing in his head.

_"One of my students volunteered to help me with work every now and then. He's really helpful, it's pretty nice."_

The following week after he met up with Chan, Seungmin started coming home later than Minho on certain days—which he eventually tracked to be Tuesdays and Thursdays—and he thought it was just Seungmin maybe playing at the arcade after school, until he realized the boy wasn't bringing home any toy, plushie or any prize at all from the arcade.

All it took for him to figure things out soon enough was meeting Chan again.

"Ming hyung!" Seungmin bounces into their room, immediately belly-flopping on his bed. "Is dinner ready? I'm already so hungry!"

"Yeah, I'll go heat it up. Why don't you set the table while I prepare the food?"

Seungmin whines right away. "But I'm too tired toooo."

He volunteers to help Chan with his paperwork for hours but can't even set the table for two minutes. Minho snorts through his nose as he gets up and walks to the kitchen. _Chan, you are being deceived._

"Set the table or you're not eating."

Seungmin whines even louder.

The following Thursday, Minho takes his afternoon coffee break at the exact time Seungmin should be dismissed from classes twenty minutes ago, and then he pulls out his phone to dial Seungmin's number with a mischievous smile.

It takes four rings before his call is answered with a hushed and confused, _"Hyung? Aren't you at work?"_

"I was given the rest of the day off," he lies smoothly, spinning in his chair a little. "Your classes are over, right? We should go out, I can pick you up from school if you're still there," he says, knowing perfectly well he _is_ still there.

 _"What?"_ Seungmin half screeches, half whispers, and Minho has to stop himself from snickering when he distinctly hears Chan's voice from afar, asking Seungmin if he's okay.

 _"Y—yes, I'm okay, sir, I'll just be a minute,"_ Seungmin chuckles awkwardly, then proceeds to talk to Minho in a quieter voice, albeit in a frustrated tone. _"Of all days why today!"_

Minho grins. "Why? I don't recall you having any after-school club activities or anything, and I was hoping we could spend some time together outside for once. We haven't done that in a while, right?"

Seungmin stammers for a bit before he falls silent, and after a second or two, there's a pout in his voice as he says, _"I need to know where we're going first."_

Minho blinks, mildly surprised that Seungmin actually seems to be considering it, before he comes up with an idea and smiles even wider. "Well, I have two tickets to this art museum that I really wanna go to, and I was thinking we can have dinner outside after."

An art museum would be the last thing Seungmin will agree to go to and leave Chan for.

 _"Art museum?"_ Seungmin nearly yells his whisper. _"You know I'm too young to understand and appreciate any of that, hyung. I'll just look like an idiot there, I—..."_ he trails off, falling silent once again.

Minho covers his mouth to let out a silent laugh before he finally gives in, deciding to just tell the truth. "It's fine, Seungmin, I was only ki—"

_"Okay, let's go."_

Minho shoots up from his seat, dumbfounded. "What?"

 _"I mean you're right that we haven't spent time together outside in a while, so..."_ Seungmin mumbles quietly—and from the sound of it, through another pout. _"You've also been busy from work lately and you barely spend time with me at home anymore too because your face is always just stuck to your computer screen, so..."_

Minho stills, blinking for a few times to himself. "Oh."

_"Anyway I'm gonna go pack my things now, so hurry up!"_

Minho opens his mouth, then closes it.

Suddenly he's getting off work early, suddenly he's hurriedly purchasing two admission tickets to an art museum online, suddenly he's picking up an excited Seungmin from school, who immediately runs towards him and tackles him in a hug with a cheerful and happy _'yay!'_

And later that day, Seungmin ends up actually being more curious and interested about anything and everything in the museum than Minho is; they go to an arcade after, where Minho turns out to be pretty good at the claw machine game and wins Seungmin a huge cinnamon bun stuffed toy that Seungmin just _adores;_ and they eat a hearty dessert after having dinner together at a family restaurant.

Then when they arrive home, for the first time in two months, Seungmin doesn't even spare his English textbook a single glance and just cuddles up next to Minho to go straight to sleep.

(And if Minho really just wanted to see if Seungmin would still choose him over Chan; if the fact that that's what Seungmin did made him really happy, Seungmin doesn't need to know.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as i've said in the tags, this fic is going to be Episodic™ (did i use that term right) like the anime so i've marked it complete, but there will definitely be more chapters to come!!
> 
> please tell me how you found this chapter in the comments below ♡
> 
> [tumblr](https://seungjin-chan.tumblr.com/ask) | [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/seungjin_chan) | [curiouscat](https://www.curiouscat.me/seungjin_chan)


	3. Seungmin and December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duty calls for Minho, and Seungmin wishes his big brother could stay home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will believe that it's still christmas somewhere in the universe right now so no, i am not late!! (ง •̀ - •́)ง
> 
> my original plan was actually a whole other fic to publish for christmas, but i also started writing this chapter a few weeks ago just in case (it was about time i wrote for this again too) and luckily, i finished it! yay!!
> 
> so yes, this wasn't actually supposed to be the third chapter because the Original third chapter has been in the works since i finished the chapter 2 LMAO but thank you so so much to all the subscribers still here and looking forward to more chapters! ❤ ;;
> 
> here's 3.4k words for chapter 3! it's longer this time!1! ♡

Minho stares down at their shopping cart with unamused eyes, his nose burying into his scarf from the action. At his side, though he doesn't completely see it from his peripheral view, he can practically feel his little brother's pleading, puppy-dog eyes.

It's their first trip to the grocery store together since the start of Seungmin's winter break. Much like the past couple of years he's been living with Minho, he's filled up their cart with an entire armful's assortment of popsicle ice cream.

And much like those past couple of years, Seungmin starts with: "Winter is the best season to enjoy ice cream!"

"Seungmin."

"And these are limited edition!"

"Seungmin."

"I got only one for each brand this time!"

" _Seungmin._ "

"I won't get sick this year!!!"

He does, a few days later.

Seungmin sniffles and coughs before wailing pathetically in his bed, cocooned in his blanket—an all-too-familiar sight for Minho, at this point. "Why does ice cream hate meee..."

Minho shakes his head to himself, opening the doors to their closet and starting to take out his work uniform. "Because you believe it's best eaten in winter and not in summer."

"I stand by my words," Seungmin grumbles. "Why do people think it's supposed to be summer? It's hot, your ice cream melts easily and sticks to your hands and face, and after that, you get really thirsty!"

Minho sighs as Seungmin goes through another coughing fit from his little outburst, shutting the closet doors and hanging his clothes up by the handles. "I'll make you some more lemon tea and cook your lunch before heading out, so make sure to remember to take your medicine on time okay?"

At this, Seungmin shoots up from his lying position, staring up at Minho and looking utterly betrayed. "Wait, you're not staying home?"

"Not this year, Seungmin," Minho answers, the reply only further intensifying the younger's expression, "I've got a lot of work to do. You'll be fine; you're older now and I'm sure you can take care of yourself."

Seungmin continues to look at him unhappily for a few more moments, before he promptly lies back down the mattress with a thud and a small _'hmp!'_

Minho purses his lips, watching his little brother sulkily turn his back on him, before reluctantly heading to the bathroom to shower.

"Here, Minho hyung, I got you your Americano."

"Thanks, Felix," Minho answers without looking away from the computer, blindly reaching for his drink and bringing it up to his lips as his other hand continues to type.

He expected it, really, but somehow, seeing Seungmin pout at him up until he stepped out and closed the door instead of being happily told to buy some snacks on his way home after work just left him feeling restless.

It was easier last year and the year before that. He could stay home to take care of Seungmin without worrying too much about work, but with time, of course, Minho getting promoted was inevitable and he has significantly more work to do. But he knows that Seungmin is fully capable of taking care of himself now, and that's what he reasons with himself to be convinced that it's okay that he's at work right now and not at home.

With Seungmin.

Who has a cold.

All by himself.

It's absolutely, _totally_ okay.

"Hyung." Felix catches his attention by firmly holding his hand that wasn't on the keyboard, halting his actions. "That's not your coffee."

Minho blinks up at him, then down at their hands, and sees that he was just about to drink the water from his desk plant's vase. "Oh."

With a little laugh, Felix gingerly pries the vase from his grasp, sets it down somewhere Minho can't reach it, and places his Americano in his hand.

"Thanks, Lix."

"Anytime."

Minho inhales. _It's fine._

_Everything is fine._

By lunch time, Minho's feet have started tapping against the floor unstoppably—because Seungmin isn't answering any of his calls and it's already been half an hour.

He suddenly remembered that he cooked more vegetables than he usually does for Seungmin's lunch on auto-pilot, forgetting how picky the boy is when it comes to them and how he only really finishes eating them when Minho's around to nag him to do so. If he decides not to eat the vegetables altogether—which is highly likely—he wouldn't really have much else left to eat. On top of that, Minho didn't make the boy any dessert, thinking sweets might make his coughing worse.

At this rate, the medicine wouldn't be enough to make him feel better again.

"Hyung," Felix calls out from where he's walking around their break room and seemingly searching for something, brows furrowed in worry. "Have you seen my—"

Minho raises a brow when Felix promptly stops, glancing at the phone in Minho's hand and at him a couple of times before saying, "That's my phone you're using, hyung."

Minho stills, staring down at it for a while before smacking a hand to his forehead and running it down his face exasperatedly.

No wonder he wasn't answering any calls.

After a moment, he stands up, hands Felix his phone back, and starts packing up his unfinished lunch and placing it back into his bag. "I can't take it."

"Take what—?" Felix blinks rapidly. "Where are you going?"

Minho zips his bag closed and brings it with him as he briskly walks his way out to head to their chief's office, determined. "Home."

He's out of breath when he gets back to their apartment, having sprinted his way to the grocery store for some rushed shopping before continuing his sprint home.

" _Seungmin,_ I'm," he wheezes as he practically shoves their sliding door open to their room, hunched over with his hands on his knees as he catches his breath—before he looks up to a surprised Seungmin seated at their _chabudai_ table with his chopsticks up, about to take his last bite of food.

Minho pauses and scans the table to see that Seungmin's eaten everything he cooked for him this morning, and he also spots their bottle of medicine for colds on the side. He's in the middle of watching an anime series on their TV, and his eyes and nose are no longer red and puffy.

"... Home."

Seungmin blinks up at him curiously and tilts his head, letting out a small, confused noise before giggling and beaming at him happily. "Welcome home, Ming hyung! Did you finish work early?"

Minho stands back upright and heaves out a big sigh, lips turned up into a relieved smile. "Yeah, I did."

"Yay! You're just in time, we can watch this new anime together!" Seungmin cheers, quickly finishing his food. "Did you bring home dessert?"

Minho walks over and settles down on the floor across the boy, before pulling out a cup of pudding from his plastic bag and setting it down in front of Seungmin, who immediately squeals and peels the lid open to eat it.

"Don't eat it too fast."

"I won't!" Seungmin chirps, eating a spoonful and doing a happy little dance. "What are those other things in the bag?"

"Oh, they're..." Minho trails off, glancing at the bag. He had actually bought ingredients to cook another meal with less vegetables for Seungmin's lunch, but now that he doesn't have to, he instead says, "For tonight's dinner."

"Oh, m'kay! Did you get me any potato chips?"

"No."

"Whyyy."

"You still have some in the pantry."

"But they're already running out!"

"I can still take that pudding back, Seungmin."

"Not if I eat it all first!"

"Seungmin!"

They already had ingredients in the fridge for tonight's dinner, actually. The chief wasn't very happy with his request to leave early without finishing his piling amount of work to do too.

And Seungmin, being the bright boy he really is, figures these out when their dinner ends up being a lot more than they usually eat, and when he sees Minho's phone constantly lighting up with messages about work from someone named 'Felix'.

Seungmin doesn't say anything. Minho just figures it out when the boy decides to sleep with Minho on the futon instead of his own bed that night, hugging him tightly and burrowing into his arms with a happy smile as Minho fixes his cinnamoroll hoodie over his head and holds him closer.

Today, a week later, Seungmin is upset.

Minho has his head lowered into his hands, absolutely distressed.

"What do you _mean_ you have to work until late today!"

"I'm so sorry, Seungmin, I was going to tell you but—I forgot about it too."

"We were supposed to go to the fair!"

"I know, I know, but I really can't afford not to finish work today—"

"I hate it! I hate your job!" Seungmin screams, throwing himself back to bed and pulling the covers up to his head, turning away from Minho.

Today, it's Christmas Eve.

"I feel terrible," Minho mutters, sullenly typing away at his keyboard, brain barely functioning anymore.

All that's been in his head all day is the look on Seungmin's face this morning, when Minho turned to look back just one more time before closing the door on his way out, seeing the boy peeking at him from the doorframe of their room with his cinnamoroll hoodie over his head, nearly covering his eyes that, upon closer look, had unshed tears.

Seungmin went back inside before Minho could say anything.

"Tell me about it," Felix snorts humorlessly from beside Minho, arms continuously moving to organize a mountain of files on his desk. "One of these days I'm going to really quit this job."

Minho briefly closes his eyes, breathing in through his nose. He's considered that before too—finding a less deadline-centered job that won't need him to constantly work overtime hours or bring any work home—more than just a few times throughout the past two years.

But that's the thing. Seungmin moved in two years ago. And Minho doesn't remember considering resigning before that. It makes him worry that he maybe spoils his little brother a bit too much—that he's _twenty-seven_ and not capable of balancing his life properly.

Minho slowly stops typing and saves his document before standing up. "I'm taking a break."

Felix can only hum busily while continuing to work as Minho makes his way out of the office, feet automatically bringing him towards the elevators and up the rooftop within a few minutes so he can breathe.

He goes to his usual spot on one of the benches and seats himself there, pulling out his phone, and just before he unlocks it when it lights up with his lockscreen, he finds himself staring for a little while at the time and date that says, _'17:28 Thursday, December 24'_.

He and Seungmin were supposed to head to the fair in half an hour and spend the night out. Buy all kinds of food from the food stands he knows Seungmin really likes. Play games from the booths and take photos together at the big Christmas tree before watching the lights display. It was supposed to be a great night.

Minho groans and messes up his hair in frustration.

His phone dings with a message just then, and though he sighs a little when he sees that it isn't from Seungmin, his head perks back up when he realizes that it's Chan wishing him a merry Christmas.

He opens it, contemplatively hovering a thumb over Chan's icon for a moment or two, before finally tapping on it and dialing his number.

A ring after he brings his phone to his ear, Chan answers.

 _"Minho! Unusual of you to call just to wish me a merry Christmas!"_ he greets cheerfully, but before Minho could answer, he lets out a small noise in realization. _"Something's wrong, isn't there."_

"... Yeah," Minho breathes with a small, tired smile, leaning his back against the wall. "It's about Seu—about my little brother, I mean," he quickly corrects.

 _"Oh, I haven't seen him in forever!"_ Minho has to hold back a snort at that. _"What about him?"_

"Well..." Minho trails off, pressing his lips together. "It's also about my job. Him and my job. I... think I could use some advice. Even though you're not good at it."

_"You little sh—"_

Minho laughs for the first time today. "I'm kidding."

_"I could hang up on you right now."_

"Mhm, you won't."

_"You're just lucky I'm best friends with you."_

"Of course, Chan, how could I forget?"

Half an hour later, Minho finds himself out of breath, yet again, striding into their apartment and towards the door to their bedroom before sliding it open—only to see no sight of Seungmin.

 _"I don't think I'm spoiling him_ too _much, but—am I spoiling him too much, Chan?"_

_"Honestly, aside from the fact that I don't really think it's bad that you spoil him, I think he deserves all the spoiling he can get. You know," Chan paused, seemingly hesitant, "what with all that happened two years ago."_

_Minho stilled. He hadn't visited that... memory, in quite a while._

Minho and Seungmin grew up together.

But that was only until Minho was eighteen and Seungmin was just eight. Because to their parents, eighteen was the time to start learning to live on their own, and really, Minho didn't mind much—he liked the idea of freedom and independence anyway. But even so, he didn't want to have to transfer schools, and he wanted to get to stay with his best friend at the school dormitories, so he didn't really move all that far from their old house—which meant he could still visit his family easily. It all worked out.

At least, that's what he thought before. Even now, he regrets agreeing to move out that year.

Because while he was away, Seungmin was left there without a brother to go to, and with parents who started to drift apart right in front of him. Meanwhile, Minho gradually started to visit less and less, carried away with his freedom, unaware of what was really happening back home.

He should have noticed back then why their parents never seemed to mind not seeing him that much anymore. In all the times Minho came to take Seungmin to spend time with him outside, the boy never said anything about it.

When Seungmin was just about to turn fifteen, their parents were already filing a divorce, and Minho only found out through a phone call from their mother telling him neither of them can take Seungmin with them.

Minho went back to their old household right away and picked up Seungmin along with all his things without uttering another word to their parents for the last time.

Until now, he vividly remembers Seungmin's doe eyes looking up at him and brimming with unshed tears the moment he got there.

_"If you're worried that he's selfish, well—he's not, Minho. At least, not when it's not about you, from what I understand, and that's okay. You've been living apart from each other for years; it's only natural that he'd want to be with you as much as possible. And I think you want the same."_

_"... Yeah," Minho whispered, nodding. "Yeah, I do."_

_"There's nothing wrong with wanting a job that gives you more time to be with him, you know?"_

He leaves the apartment just as quickly as he got there, toeing off his leather shoes and slipping into a pair of sneakers on his way out while simultaneously wearing a coat he hastily grabbed from the rack.

Seungmin must have gone out to go to the fair by himself.

Minho doesn't like that thought.

_"I know I only met him a few times when he was still a kid, but believe me, I could see that he loves you more than anything in the world. He looked at you like you're his superhero."_

After a brief, deep breath, Minho sprints as fast as he can to head to the venue, unable to stand the thought of Seungmin walking around there on his own any longer than he's already been.

What should have been a ten-minute walk turns into three minutes. A crowd is already steadily forming around the area when he arrives, and just as he's about to take out his phone to call Seungmin, he spots the boy standing right by the wishing well nearby, quietly tossing in a coin.

"Seungmin!" he calls, still catching his breath after.

Seungmin startles and turns to look at him, eyes wide in surprise and blinking rapidly.

With the remaining strength he has left in his legs, Minho runs towards his little brother and catches him in the tightest hug, nearly sending the boy stumbling backwards.

"I—hyung?" Seungmin carefully wraps his arms back around him, sounding worried.

Minho practically heaves out a breath of relief at how the boy isn't upset with him like he was this morning, feeling a huge weight fall off his shoulders. Even though he knows how forgiving Seungmin really is, something about today just... maybe made Minho a little scared.

"Why are you here? What about work?"

Minho only hugs him tighter, still too tired to answer. Seungmin seems to understand, giving him a little squeeze and gently patting his back a few times, lightly swaying them both side to side until he eventually lets out a small giggle. "You sound like an old man wheezing."

Minho just bumps his head against the boy's and earns an _'ow.'_

After a few more moments, Minho pulls back with a grin, ruffles up Seungmin's hair, and holds the boy's hand before dragging him towards the street lined with colourful lanterns and stands. "So, what were those things you wanted to eat?"

"Wait—but—" Seungmin stammers. "You didn't tell me about work yet!"

"Oh, I quit."

"You _what?_ "

"Ooh, we should try the food over there."

"Wha—Ming hyung."

"And the one beside it too."

"Ming hyung!"

"It's fine, Seungmin," Minho laughs a little as he finally faces the frowning boy, smiling and playfully uncreasing Seungmin's brows with his fingers. "Everything is fine. I promise."

Seungmin starts to look a little guilty, but Minho squishes the boy's face and earns a whine.

"I'm going to get another job, Seungmin. One that won't rob me of life," Minho says with determination, smiling down at the boy. "And I'm happy with this decision. Won't you be happy for me too?"

In that instance, he sees the way his little brother stares up at him, eyes wide and twinkling, like he's staring at his favourite superhero.

Little by little, Minho's starting to believe that he is.

Seungmin hugs him happily and nods. "Okay."

"You're eating too fast again," Minho clicks his tongue, wiping Seungmin's mouth with a tissue even as the boy whines and tries to move away.

"I'm not!" Seungmin protests, proceeding to eat another whole _takoyaki_ with his mouth still half full, feet happily kicking beneath the bench where they've seated to watch the lights display. "Ming hyung, can you make these at home for us too?"

Minho picks up one to eat as well and hums. "Sure. I'll make ones with only vegetables inside, they'll be good for you."

Seungmin stares at him blankly before huffing when Minho guffaws at his face, continuing to watch the lights display in front of them instead.

Minho smiles as he watches Seungmin's eyes slowly be filled back with wonder as they sparkle from all the colourful lights before him, and as he recalls images of the boy's eyes that used to be filled with tears, he's never been more glad that he did what he did today.

"Do you want to watch the fireworks display on New Year's Eve too?"

Seungmin widens his eyes in excitement, practically beaming at him now as he nods happily and bounces in his seat. "I want to!"

And really, it's always been this way, but whenever he sees the biggest, brightest smile on Seungmin's face, Minho knows that everything was worth it.

With a yawn, Seungmin puts on his cinnamoroll cape and pulls the hood over his head, before sleepily crawling into the futon beside Minho and curling up into a ball at his side.

Minho briefly considers getting a wider futon someday, but he dismisses the idea and closes his eyes with a smile, holding his little brother closer into his arms and hugging him tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, what would minho do without chan ✨ this actually feels a bit rushed and i think the pacing's all over the place so i'll probably still edit this here and there after i get to read it again with fresh eyes and a fresh mind ; ∇ ;
> 
> anywho, happy holidays everyone! i hope you enjoyed this lil christmas chapter, and do stay tuned for more!!
> 
> please tell me what you think in the comments! ♡
> 
> [210107] edit: i am no artist whatsoever but i got my hands on a friend's tablet! so!! i tried drawing **[seungmaru](https://curiouscat.qa/seungjin_chan/post/1172685189)**!
> 
> [tumblr](https://seungjin-chan.tumblr.com/ask) | [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/seungjin_chan) | [curiouscat](https://www.curiouscat.me/seungjin_chan)


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